Finance committee  I can't give you an answer to the dollars. I'd have to go back and prepare that for you.

Finance committee  The Public Lending Right Commission is a commission that was set up with Massey funds many years ago to provide funding--

Finance committee  I'd say at least 30. What happens is that a writer's income is based on royalties, and when they sell a book, they get 10%, if they're lucky, of that sale. When a book is sold to a public library, they get ten cents or one dollar. But then it's read by many people. So our Public

Finance committee  No, it's one shot, one time. It's for writers who have to identify that they are working on a work and that they need money to buy time to write it. That money is used for groceries and rent.

Finance committee  Yes. It's very competitive.

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  They are small amounts--well, they are not that small: they can go as high as $10,000.

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  The income that a creator earns is so minuscule. Being self-employed, creators unfortunately don't have pensions, benefits, or even the ability to participate in EI, even if they pay through another job. They have a very unbalanced schedule to start with. Then, when it comes to

Finance committee  Thank you for this opportunity. The Writers' Union of Canada appreciates this opportunity to participate in pre-budget consultations. The union was founded by writers for writers in 1973 and has evolved into the national voice for over 1,800 writers of books in all genres. Our

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes. That age has dropped. It has dropped drastically. What I'm saying is that our younger Canadians are much more savvy. We don't need to dumb down to them. We might have to look up to them.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, they have. And they've made it very clear that it's to reach out to a broader audience.

Canadian Heritage committee  No, they've given us a response to the question, but they haven't substantiated it.

Canadian Heritage committee  No, they have not.

Canadian Heritage committee  No, they haven't.